The disclosure relates to dunnage insertion systems. More particularly, it relates to an automated dunnage inserter system. It also relates to a discrete dunnage insertion system or a device that automatically inserts dunnage between metal sheets in the stacker section of a metal cut to length line.
In the metals industry there are process lines typically known as “Cut to Length Lines” that automatically cut metal strip material that is fed from a coil. The coil is unwound, the strip is flattened and then a measured length of the strip is fed past a cutting shear and then on to a stacking device.
The shear cuts the strip and the length of strip that is supported in the stacking device is released and allowed to drop onto a stack of previously cut strips. When the stack reaches a predetermined count or number of pieces, there is the need to insert spacers, known as “dunnage”, to separate the counted “pack” from subsequent pieces that will continue to be dropped on the stack.
Separating the stack of strips or pieces into counted piece packs can be accomplished by stopping the line and manually inserting the dunnage, or else the stack can continue to build higher than the required piece count. This large stack can be subsequently separated into counted packs after the stack is run out of the stacker area. Both of these approaches reduce productivity and require manual labor.
During operation, a sheet is placed in the shipping or packing container or area, then the dunnage is placed in the container to serve as spacers on top of one of the sheets, then another sheet is placed in the container, and so on. The dunnage pieces are spaced apart from each other along a length of the sheet. In some existing systems, nails are used to penetrate the dunnage and wedge into the dunnage board to prevent dropping the dunnage as it is moved to the packing container. One or more dunnage pieces are lifted by a holder and are lowered and placed in a spaced apart manner in the container or storage area.
Automation can be used for the movement of the dunnage pieces, instead of moving them by hand, which results in an increase in time and cost efficiency results. Over packing or under packing of the dunnage is minimized, thus maximizing the use of dunnage pieces, and the packers are free to work on other tasks.
In the process of shipping one or more articles in a container, a packer typically manually places some type of dunnage material in the shipping container along with the articles. The dunnage material can partially or completely fill the empty space and fill the void around the articles in the container. The dunnage material helps prevent or minimizes any shifting of the articles in the container and/or cushions the articles in the container during the shipping process. Some commonly used dunnage materials are plastic foam, air bags or sheets or boards of material such as wood.
In the process of shipping one or more articles from one location to another, a packer can manually top-fill a container in which one or more articles have been placed with dunnage to partially or completely fill the void around the article or articles and thereby prevent or minimize any shifting movement of the objects relative to the container and/or to provide cushioning for the articles in the container.
The packer typically observes the container as it is being filled with dunnage and stops adding dunnage when the container appears to be full. One problem with manually packing the container is that some packers tend to over-fill the container, with the result that more dunnage material might have been placed in the container than is needed to adequately protect the article. At other times, a packer might under-fill the container, in which case the article might be free to move around in the container during shipment, increasing the possibility of damage.
Thus, there is a need for an automated system for efficiently dispensing the proper amount of dunnage into a container of sheet material for shipment. It is also desired to have a system which automatically inserts discrete dunnage into a stack of strips or pieces which overcomes the above-mentioned deficiencies and others while providing better and more advantageous overall results, such as improving the overall productivity and safety of the process.